You're a Faker, You're a Fraud
by Aura Phoenix Bakura
Summary: This is a Tendershipping RP between a friend and I on I 3 Yugioh Yaoi  link inside  Rated M for possible future chapters. RyouxBakura


Hello! This is a Tendershipping RP between a friend and I on I Heart Yugioh Yaoi (A forum you all should join if you love to RP Yu-gi-oh or meet other Yaoi fans! Link is on my profile and the RPer I RP with is, ShadowRealmSnowflakes the link to her profile and her awesome fanfics is on my profile as well. ) Anyway, I'm posting this for a friend so she can read it and follow along. If you're interested to know, I play Bakura.

Okay: For some reason, it's being extremely difficult and I can't but a spacer between posts, so Ryou POV and Bakura POV exchanges and I'm terribly sorry for the confusion.

Ryou was 'awoken' by the unpleasant sensation of a dull pounding in his head. Blinking a few times, the young teen saw a dark swirling mist clouding his vision for a brief moment. He found it was hard to tell where he was, or what exactly was going on. Ryou often had moments like this where there were large gaps in his memory, and at these times knew that the Spirit of the ring must have been using his body. Confused, he felt the back of his head tentively. It felt sticky, making him in pain as he pressed his fingers to the wound there. However, little Ryou made no attempt at movement, not yet. The pale hikari waited patiently, fighting back tears. He would not cry, because he knew that his darkness would only see crying as a weakness.

Ryou gradually raised his head and opened his chocolate brown eyes. The room span around a couple of times, but he was soon able to focus. When he withdrew his petite hand from its resting place behind his head, it was covered in blood. Using his slender arms for support, Ryou managed to stand up, and again the room circled around him. Still unsure of the severity of the wound (or how he had gotten it for that matter) the boy knew he should probably go to the hospital, but decided against it. The nurses would surely ask him how he'd received the wound, and Ryou wanted to avoid awkward questioning.

He slowly proceeded up the stairway to the bathroom, and removed a small first aid kit from the medicine cabinet above the sink. The hikari soon patched up the worst of the wound and was able to remove most of the bloodstains from his silvery hair. As another sigh escaped from his white lips, he turned to take a look at the figure staring back at himself in the mirror. **"What did you do this time, Koe?"** He wondered, speaking his thoughts aloud in his faintly british-sounding soft voice. It wasn't a question that needed answering, nor was it _really_ directed at the spirit. Ryou had merely said it to help break the unearthly silence in his apartment...

-  
>The white haired male brushed his fingers through his hair letting out a very low growl. He had locked himself deep in his dark soul room and paced angrily. With a loud yell he kicked something, nothing but shadow and sat down trying to calm himself, "Damn Yadonushi." Laying back in the darkness, he stared at nothing, his mind was running. Though, through the link they shared he could sense his Hikari's sadness and confusion but did nothing about it, he didn't care. He never cared, not about him, his Yadonushi, not the people he killed, not about all the blood spilled; nothing, it never mattered.<p>

The Shadows that whirled around him, the very Shadow Realm in itself was the only thing that seemed to calm him. As if they penetrated his very soul and replaced the very fire that slowly consumed him; for a moment, his eyes shut, and just enjoyed the shadows licking at his skin but found that even the shadows could quell his anger.

After a while, he sat up and slowly moved to his feet. His face contorted for a moment before he faded away from his soul room and appeared at the foot of the stairs in his ghost-like form. He glanced up towards the top of the staircase and instantly growled again minding the link between the two of them, he sat on the second to last stair step, then slowly ran his hand through his hair again. He waited, somewhat patiently, for his Hikari to step out of the bathroom

-  
>Ryou sighed, and stared for a few more moment into the mirror. The glass on its crystalline surface fogged up a little bit from his breath on it, blurring his reflection. From the angle, in the corner of his eye he thought he almost looked like the Spirit himself... Turning around, Ryou realized it wasn't his reflection at all, as he noticed the ghostly form on the stairs. Blinking a bit, he thought he caught him looking in his direction. Sighing again, the Hikari put away the things he had used, tossing the paper towels in the waste bin. With everything back in its proper place, he made his way towards the transparent form of his Yami, very quietly...<p>

Standing just a step or two behind the spirit, Ryou frowned and was suddenly concerned to find that the mind link was silent... that was odd. **"A- are you okay, spirit?"** he questioned, wincing automatically at the stutter in his voice, knowing he would see it as a show of weakness. After waiting a little longer, he tried again **"Bakura?** this time calling him by the name he had adopted for himself, his own last name. Though it seemed ironic, it was rather like talking to himself.

Bakura heard him, there was no doubt his little light was questioning him; but, Bakura had no answer. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to answer his light; it was that he _had_no answer. So for the next several minutes the staircase remained absolutely silent. He realized there was no explanation for his rage he was just upset…always. There was no calming, that fire still raged and hurting Ryou was the only way that fire would dim. Seeing him cry, hearing him scream, it pleased him yet, strangely, hurt him. These confusing emotions only made his anger worse, he couldn't explain it, and he didn't understand it.

To break the silence, Bakura let out a low growl, and very slowly turned to face Ryou, his dark eyes narrowing tightly onto his light. Finally, his lips parted and he said very coldly, "**you're pathetic. Always whimpering like a little dog. If you can't talk without a stutter, don't say a word.**" As soon as he said that he felt a very small piece of regret flutter through him and hoped his Hikari hadn't noticed through the link. To back up the feeling of disgust and loathing, he stood tall and crossed his arms, continuing his glare, he knew he had completely ignored his question but it didn't bother him.

The fire grew just looking at him, he was certain of it; he _hated _his Hikari…right?

The coldness in his other's voice made him recoil backwards a bit. He half wondered what he had done to deserve it this time... With a soft sigh, he guessed that the spirit didn't need a reason. Maybe he wasn't being insulting at all, just truthful... perhaps he really was that weak and pathetic and low. He whimpered a bit, biting back tears. Did he really believe that? Was he really going to sink to the level of putting himself down? The answer was obvious; Yes...

No matter how badly Bakura treated him, deep down Ryou would always appreciate him, simply just for being there. Abuse and pain was better than loneliness and neglect, wasn't it? Better to have a bit of negative attention, than carry on going unnoticed. Yes it was true that he appreciated his yami's company, admired him even, but he knew he could never confess to it. He blinked up fearfully as the other glared down at him, with so much rage and hatred in his eyes **"... what did i do to make you hate me so much?"** he whispered.

The question had, to say the least, thrown Bakura for a loop. He didn't honestly know why he hated his light so much, just that he did. Thinking about it, it could have been many things, the likeness between the two of them, the alarming differences, or the fact that being here with him, now meant he failed in the past. For a long while, he studied his lighter half, confused and a bit more wide-eyed than normal. In fact, when did Ryou gain enough courage to even speak up like that? It was different, it was out of his character, but that seemed little compared to the actual question in itself.

The question remained, why did he hate him so much? Yes, the similarities were there but they were few and far between, his hair being the only real thing that reminded him of his past. A flinch then and his eyes shut, yes it _was_ his past, the very thought of it made him angry yet incredibly sad. He failed miserably, and the fact that he was stuck with this Yadonushi pissed him off, but how would he say that to him? Taking a long breath Bakura met his eyes, cold and heartless once more, "**It has nothing to do with you, I just hate**," his eyes fell away, "**Everything**," he finished.

Ryou blinked, having realized that he has spoken the question aloud. He hadn't meant too... it had been more of a question to himself than anything. For a moment, he panicked, fearing what the Yami would do about his rather bold question. He stared at the floor nervously, as if the patterns in the carpet were suddenly very interesting, not daring to meet his eyes. He could feel the cold glare from the Yami as he was stared down at, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. If he could take back the question, he would have instantly.

He blinked back upwards upon hearing the answer. He was surprise 1) that he had even received an answer in the first place and 2) because the idea of hating everything seemed ridiculous. How was it possible to hate EVERYTHING? Was it just every living creature, or literally everything, from the ground he walked on to the clouds in the sky? You couldn't realistically hate everything, he was sure of it, but he didn't dare to voice his opinion this time, and simply nodded. **"O- Okay..."**

The silence passed through him like a knife, 'Just _okay_?' he thought and surprisingly, that answer really, really irritated him, but he could sense the confusion through their mind link and allowed a thin smile to appear on his face. Seeing he still had dominancy over this conversation, like he always did, Bakura stood tall and crossed his arms. "Everything." He added simply.

Thinking for a moment longer, he decided one of two things, he could tell his Hikari about _why_he hated everything, or he could let the confusion sink it. Deciding on the latter, he wondered how long it would take before his Hikari would snap and ask yet another brave question of is he would bite his lip and cry like he always did.

With a wicked grin on his face, Bakura simply watched his light, and only felt that same fire within him burning once again. The sudden urge to control and dominate took over but he suppressed it before the thought even came to their mind link. With one of his oh-so famous dark chuckles Bakura asked, "**Is there anything else you want to ask?**"

Ryou let out a sigh, a broken and hollow sound that came from somewhere deep within him. **"No... No, there's nothing else."**he replied somewhat sadly. He wanted to say more, so badly he wanted to question his darkness... but knew that it would cause more conflict between the two of them. Slowly, he stood up from the stairs and made his way downwards, holding onto the banister a little. The conversation with the spirit, however short, had shaken him up. He felt unstable, like Bakura's words had been his own personal earthquake.

Once safely at the bottom, he wandered into the hallway, across the hall to the kitchen. As usual, his stomach ached with hunger. He wondered how long the Yami had been control of his body before the bathroom accident incident, but again daren't ask. Instead he simply raided the cupboards for what little food he could find, quickly stuffing it down his throat before something else happened. **"S-so, uhm..."** he trailed off at his lame attempt to make conversation.

Bakura gave a mental sigh watching Ryou, he had to admit he was slightly disappointed not hearing the familiar stutter in the others voice. It was something annoying, something simple, something he had gotten so used to, it comforted him the slightest. There was just something about the way Ryou acted, maybe it was his innocence, maybe it was the fear Bakura fed off of, whatever it was it was pleasurable. Another mental sigh as he watched the other eat, the pathetic host should have been happy to eat when he could it was more that the thief was ever allowed. Then suddenly it all seemed to click, he realized why he treated Ryou this way...

More hate and agony filled within him almost immediately as his gaze shifted to the kitchen floor. He hated himself more than he hated Ryou, because Ryou reminded of him of who he used to be, before he claimed the title 'king'. Ryou reminded him of his own misery. For the first time a sad, yet miserable, expression took over Bakura's face as he looked down.

When Ryou spoke he was completely oblivious to it, he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to even pay attention to the other. Time seemed to just stop for him, finally he looked up and met the others eyes.

The small Hikari turned around after swiftly cleaning up the bit of mess he had made in the kitchen, and soft chocolate eyes met darker russet ones. Ryou froze to the spot at the eye contact, his breath hitching in his throat. He tried to let the breath out, but all that escaped were shallow wheezes, mostly from shock. Bakura never met his eyes directly, not as far as he could remember, and it scared him. **"B- Bakura...?"**

But what was he afraid of? Was a little eye contact really so frightening? No. No that wasn't it. What shook the little light to his very core, was the agonized look in said yami's eyes. The other looked angry, full of hate as always... but if you looked past that you could see the pain and the hurt that was usually hidden. He seemed sad, almost broken. It was said that eyes were supposed to be like windows into a person's soul, but this wasn't the case for the ancient spirit. His eyes were windows to something Ryou never thought he would get a glimpse of; _his emotions_.

Finally feeling oxygen flood through his lungs again, the Hikari offered the first thing that came naturally to his kind-natured heart; comfort. Not really thinking about it, he stepped forward and embraced his darker half in a tight hug. Sure in his spirit form Bakura was somewhat see-through, almost ghost like, but being his host meant Ryou could still touch him.

For the long moment Ryou stared at him his face never changed, there was a weird strand of emotions he hadn't felt in a long time stirring through him. Something so innate, so lost that he didn't think existed within him anymore. That weird mix of emotions utterly terrified though he did everything to conceal it from the other, and he did good at it.

Then the stuttering came and soothed him, it was just something about it once again. If Bakura wasn't so upset he would have smiled, even in the slightest but even the stutter wasn't enough to cool the emotions raging the fire within him. It was then that Ryou did the unthinkable.

His body against his own, arms around him it was weird, not a touch he was familiar with, not one he could fully register. For a long moment he stood there, utterly shocked and still. Then, after a very long moment his arms moved around him and touched his back just lightly.

It was only a moment before he gripped him tight and pulled him closer into the spirit like form. He didn't know what he was doing, he didn't even think, it just felt right, holding him tight as if his very essence depended on it.

About a second after he had made the decision to hug the other, Ryou realized how much of a mistake it was. He had already spoken out of turn earlier, but this was surely a step too far and his darkness was sure to lash out. However just a he was about to pull away, a pair of hands making brief contact with his back stopped him. His shoulders tensed, waiting to be thrown away from him or at least shouted at. But it never came. A few more seconds passed like this, and Ryou's original fears calmed a little.

The yami's arms were draped around him loosely, almost awkwardly, and the boy thought it was as if the other had forgotten how to hug... perhaps he had. The hikari frowned at this thought, but suddenly as if on cue those ghostly arms tightened around him. He smiled softly as Bakura pulled him closer, although his eyes were wide with surprise. The grip tightened and Ryou stopped trying to pull away, completely relaxing against the other. His heart warmed, and the surprised look disappeared to be replace with contentment.

Minutes ticked by, in a slow yet comfortable silence. He didn't try to break the hug, nor did the spirit stop his embrace. It was strange, an alien moment between them, but it was nice... Eventually though, the white haired boy spoke his concerns;

**"Are you alright Koe? You've been acting strangely all day..."** he mumbled against the yami's chest.

The thief heard the other talk but decided not to answer for a long moment. No stutter and Bakura allowed a mental sigh to pass, had the moment been too good for him? Still the hug just felt strangely right, something he hadn't experienced in centuries. Something he expected never to experience again. For a moment in the lapsed silence he thought back to the last hug he had ever received and sadness jolted through him, a pain he hadn't experienced since he lost his mortal body. He knew nearly instantly that pain flickered through their mind link and he pulled away from his light.

'_Say yes and go away_' he thought, '_Just ignore him, he means nothing. A simple host, to be used and disposed of._' Still, the years they had spent together said otherwise. Opening his mouth Bakura sighed and shut it quickly looking away, '_Say YES SAY IT!' _his thoughts screamed. "**No.**" he answered simply and his thoughts fell silent.

The snowy-haired young boy felt the small burst of painful sadness flash through his link with the Darkness, for only seconds. However, it was enough for the feelings to be recognized, and his soft chocolate eyes widened in both sympathy and shock. The simple answer of 'no' made him shudder.

He tightened his arms around the ghostly form, letting out a tiny whimper at sharing the others feelings, if only for a moment, it was horrible all the same. A small part of him was surprised still that he had not been pushed away yet, and that the usually stubborn spirit had actually answered his question this time.

He held on for a few more minutes after hearing the answer to his previous question, and when he pulled away there where shimmering tears filling his eyelids. He stared upward into the semi-transparent eyes of his Yami and tried to speak, unsure what to expect at this point; **"No? W- what is it B- Bakura? Why are y- you not alright..."** his gentle stuttering giving away his uncertainty and concern.

Bakura felt the slightest tinge of disappointment shoot through him the moment Ryou pulled back. As if, suddenly noticing that being in that hug, that simple gesture, eased him. As if, even if only for the briefest of moment, Bakura had the ability to be happy; and not just sadistically madman happy like he was when he was beating Ryou or some helpless victim, but truly happy.

However, being who he was he kept that emotion cleverly well hidden away; absolutely refusing to let his light ever think he had a weakness as such as pure happiness. That was an emotion he wasn't allowed, right? He had spent so long in the darkness, in the hate, in the misery of his past that an emotion like that was just out of the question, right? Or...could it have been possible that a light like that was allowed? That, that was Ryou's intention all along, to be that light Bakura had searched for, but never found?

Preposterous! Stupid ideas! And he hated himself for thinking such thoughts. That was impossible and he knew it. He wasn't allowed happiness, he wasn't allowed such a commodity. Anger flared through him and he wanted, desperately, to hit his hikari.

Then, Ryou stuttered and it eased him nearly immediately, sudden content flew through the dark spirit and he let his posture sink. His shoulders dropped and his eyes downcast to the floor. Everything inside of him wanted to scream at his light to go away, this weakness...this was weakness! This was him doing something he never did, this emotion, happiness, sadness, content it was all weak and he couldn't do this! Yet, still he remained standing there staring at the floor.

Bakura did two things he had never done. First he whispered something, "**Ryou...**" a name. It was simple, just a name, but he had never called his host by his proper name. Ever. He was known as many other things, but never his real name. Then, he did the second thing he hadn't done for centuries, and he as completely unaware that he was doing it.

Bakura cried.

Ryou's first thought when the Yami slumped his shoulders like that, was that he was going to pass out. But was it even possible for a non-corporeal spirit with no physical body to pass out? His breath hitched in fear, but then soon calmed again when he realized this wasn't the case.

Nevertheless, Bakura's suddenly defenseless posture had him on edge. His usually so strong darker half now looked almost vulnerable, and it didn't seem right. It frightened the little hikari more than anything else that had happened so far that day.

The yami was silent for what seemed like hours, the seconds ticking slowly away. Ryou felt as if every minute resounded in his head, a pulsing moment in which he was clueless on what to do.

Then he heard Bakura say something, it was quiet... a whisper even, but he could tell what it was. He froze solid, staring wordlessly at the slumped form of his darkness. **Y- you said my name..."**he breathed lowly, hardly daring to believe it. As if realizing it aloud would erase the action, the hikari covered his mouth.

Then, just to shock his little heart even more, Ryou saw small crystal droplets of water falling to the floor. The spirit was... crying? Bakura never cried, the light thought this was probably because he didn't want to be seen as weak. Frowning slightly, he rushed forward to wipe away the tears. **"It's okay..."**he assured him, not knowing what advice to offer to a man that never cried, who was now slumped and in tears.

It was a drastic change, but Ryou just knew he had to support the other **"I'm here for you Koe... E- even if you might not like that you're stuck with me..."** he trailed off at the thought and looked sadly at the floor.

A name...did he say a name? He wasn't sure. Had he said it, who's name did he say? Why was it said? Too much thought, too much pain, too many emotions were coursing through him that he didn't understand. Still, he hadn't seemed to noticed that the fire that usually burned inside him, the same fire that wanted everything to be destroyed was nearly extinguished.

A hand then on the side of his face, why was it wet? What was on his cheek? Why was his vision blurred and what was this new pain? Something wasn't clear, something wasn't right, something was off. Was he indeed crying? He didn't know, he didn't care.

Then he heard the stutter again and his busy mind cleared and listened. '_It's okay?_' he thought and the fire grew. '_It's okay?_' he thought again. Second passed and he grabbed Ryou's throat slamming him against the nearest wall, just after he said something else.

"**It's okay?**" he yelled in anger, the tears never once stopping. "**NOTHING is EVER okay!**" he near screamed at him, and then his words sunk into his mine, '_here for you..._' that little phrase echoed in his mind, he didn't understand.

His grip on Ryou's throat only tightened, as he glared at him, still crying, vision still burred that one line echoing through his head.

It all happened so fast. Too fast for his brain to completely register what had happened. One moment the Yami had been almost calm, letting him wipe away the tears. Then in the next moment Ryou found himself pinned to a wall by his throat, gasping loudly for breath. He tried to suck in as much air as possible through his restricted windpipe, pretty sure that the skin under those strong fingers would be bruised.

Admittedly, this Bakura he was used to. The angry, hateful, and even abusive Bakura was the one that h knew and loved all too well. Wait... loved? Did he seriously just think that? Why would he...? Before he had a chance to better contemplate his own thoughts, he was snapped back to the present moment with the spirits angry scream. The hikari flinched, gasping again at the lack of oxygen **"B- Bakura... P- please...!"**he wheezed.

He was drowned out by the darkness' angry yelling yet again. Or was it angry? It sounded more... agonized. In fact as he squinted at the ghostly figure in front of him, he could still see the tears falling freely down his angular features. In that instant, he stopped being afraid, almost forgetting the hand that was choking him. He realized that his 'its okay' had just made everything worse, because it was a lie. Ryou himself knew that nobodies life as ever really 'okay' unless you were lucky...

The little light started crying as well, with regret. He felt horrible for making his yami cry, felt disgusted at himself for upsetting his darker half. He deserved this, he decided. **"I... I'm s- sorry..."** he rasped out almost silently, his vision clouding over and his face getting paler than ever as he nearly lost consciousness.

More words, he was begging, yes...begging. This brought a sadistic smile to his face, this is how it should. No pain. No senseless emotions, no wanting to be consoled, nothing but anger, anger and hate. It was all he needed, wasn't it? In honesty he didn't know, and in this confusion it only enraged him further.

It echoed in his mind again, '_here for you...why...why was he here for me? After everything I put him through after all the torture, the hospital visits, the pain the near-deaths, why?_' he thought to himself.

His 'sorry' came but it wasn't good enough, or maybe Bakura simply hadn't heard it. But, as that oh-so-familiar look of near unconsciousness fell over Ryou's eyes he relieved some pressure off of his neck. Not releasing him, but letting him breath.

More confusion set in and the tears continued to fall, and Bakura opened his mouth, "**Why?**" he asked simply, his voice soft. Something about the tone was laced with hurt, confusion, malice, and pain.

Ryou sighed quietly in relief as he felt the oxygen flood his lungs again. It was blissful to be able to breathe, something which many people took for granted. But he had learnt, especially in the spirits presence, that it was a privilege and not a right. He took a few brief moment to get his breathing back to a normal speed, clearing his head before focusing on the yami.

Why. One single word was all that issued from his other half's lips. He frowned, his brain working on overdrive as he thought up the millions of things the yami could be questioning, what exactly did he mean? Dread filled his heart like an icy cold blizzard as he came to the conclusion that he had done something wrong yet again. Perhaps Bakura had not heard his apology? Or... more likely that he had chosen to ignore it.

He opened his slightly unfocused eyes, expecting to be met with the angry and cold eyes of the spirit. But it was not those usual piecing russet eyes that he saw... It was hurt, tear filled ones. The hikari's own tears started from previously, and he panicked, his heart rate speeding up as he fought against hyperventilation. He had to focus!

That single word had been laced with so many emotions, not all of which the little light could place. Obviously confusion was there, but also pain. It was the pain that was unbearable... and he felt his heart break at the tone. Usually he would avoid speaking to his yami after a violent outburst, in case it angered him more, but finally he couldn't stand it any longer; **"Why what...?"** his voice was shaky, afraid... but mostly worried and concerned.

The pause between the question and the answer was almost too long for Bakura to stand. He wanted too, as he normally did, torture the little light, drag him into his soul room and take everything from him. But he didn't.

Now that the question he wanted to ask had been out he simply stared at him. For the first time, seeing his tears-which he had seen countess times before-seemed to pain Bakura though he didn't show it or allow such an emotion slip through the link between them.

Ryou spoke and for a long moment it confused him, as it forgetting his previous question. His shoulder slumped once more, '_why everything..._' he thought, the answer, the very question, wasn't simple enough yet at the same time it was. Bakura felt the previous pain once more and the tears on his cheeks increased as he thought of everything, nothing made sense and he wanted it too.

He let go of his neck entirely, hands dropping to his side and clenched into fists. Then Bakura snapped not in anger but in uncontrollable sadness, "**Why everything?**" he screamed, "**I beat you, torture you, make you scream and cry, make you beg for life, nearly kill you countless times, hit you for no reason. Why are you here for me? Why do you try to console me? Why do you make me feel this way?**" he screamed, voice cracking, eyes clenched shut.

The last of his yami's words seemed to echo both in his head and around the room, the sound pulsing through his ears and bouncing from the walls. He couldn't escape the words, nor the meaning behind them. Again there was such unusual sadness in the darker ones voice, despite the fact that he was shouting. The younger one knew that he should answer right away, that if he didn't then the yami's mood was sure to change quicker than you could blink. But his scrambled brain couldn't seem to place all the questions which had been thrown at him, nor could they decipher an answer of any kind. Ryou shivered from the simple force of the others voice, letting his body slide downwards almost limply once the hand was removed from his now bruised throat.

Sighing in relief as his back slid down the coolness of the wall behind him, the hikari allowed himself to slump on floor beneath him. This action was partly due to shock, partly as a sign of respect and hierarchy. To show he was lower than the other, and he knew it. However, Ryou's body was exhausted from its near-death ordeal, his heart beat now erratic in speed from the surge of panic and adrenaline. One would assume that he would be used to such things by now; the amount of times Bakura had strangled him was uncountable, but it was a natural reaction. Fear, pain, regret... he was only human after all. And that was exactly the point... he was only human, but in some ways; so was Bakura. Only human. The hikari knew what he had to answer, but was afraid to do so. However part of the question puzzled him; why do you make me feel this way? What way...? Deciding to answer the parts he could, he swallowed nervously, he raised his head to look up at Bakura.

Taking a deep breath, the snowy haired light opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Blinking apologetically, he tried again, his feather-soft voice sounding surprisingly loud in the silence. **"I- I am here for you, and I try to console you because... b- because that's just who I am. And I think that..."** he grimaced, knowing that his next words could be deadly for the both of them, the volume of his words dropping considerably without his knowing or deciding it **"P- part of me thinks that... despite the tough and angry-at-the-world attitude you have... y- you still need the support and comfort from someone, if only a little."** by now Ryou had given up on trying to look directly at his yami, his gaze fixed to the carpet as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. He was terrified, but he carried on anyway **"I- I figured that someone might as well be me... right?"** clutching his hands together nervously as he awaited a response.

Bakura growled angrily and did something he regretted the second after he did it. He backhanded Ryou as hard as he could across his right cheek. Then, stared down at him as if it had all been his fault. No, it HAD been all his fault, before he met Ryou he never felt this way, there was no NEED to feel this way. This little light cursed him to feel emotions he purposefully left behind. '_Emotions are for the weak,_' he thought, that had been something he told himself so many times before so HOW and WHY had Ryou made him feel otherwise? '_Emotions just get in the way_,' again something he told himself countless times while floating around in the void of the ring. Once again, Ryou proved otherwise.

"**I hate you, I hate you so much I can't stand it.**" he whispered softly, though, strange enough, he wasn't sure if he spoke about Ryou, himself, the Pharaoh, or anyone. He couldn't wrap his mind around exactly WHO he was talking about. Still, after hitting Ryou, he felt remorse and regret but wouldn't bring himself to apologize, no matter how much he did regret.

No, this WAS Ryou's fault, that's why he wouldn't apologize. Yet, had he believed that to be honestly true? He wasn't sure, he was unaware of such, and couldn't quite understand it himself. Nothing made sense anymore, everything confused him and once again he felt that fire burn deep within him. He found himself begging to hear the others stutter, to hear him whine, to see him cry, anything, say anything, ANYTHING.

Mentally, he screamed at Ryou though never once letting it slip through their shared link. He simply stared down at his light, his own vision still hazy from the tears, and waited. '_Something, for the love of Ra, say something so I can hear you stutter...I need to hear your voice._' he thought to himself and closed his eyes.

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>Read more: <span>.?action=display&amp;board=yugioh&amp;thread=48&amp;page=1#ixzz1nsykrWKE<span>


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